What The Heck, Going Caveman Again

In the last few months, and especially few weeks, I've done a number to my hair. On Sunday it was super dry. So I haven't showered since then. Which means that I also haven't bothered to wash my face since then. I've already been doing water-only successfully for a few years so not washing my face now for a while really doesn't make my skin look or feel gross or unclean. I had also exfoliated with a dry washcloth (my version of dry-brushing) but was a bit too harsh on my skin, and in these few days my skin has been recovering much better.

So, I've decided to give the no-water routine another shot.

Over the last few years I've discovered that:

1) My skin gets dehydrated easily, and exfoliating helps to relieve this dehydration. But with regular exposure to water it doesn't last.

2) My skin gets a bit clogged (mostly forehead) when I have more build-up in my hair, even though my hair doesn't touch my face

With this in mind, I've decided that my routine will basically consist of showering as needed for my hair and body (will likely be most days still) while not getting my face wet. Because of steam and minor splashes of water, I WILL still get some water on my face, so if I feel the need I will blot my face off with a towel after my shower. Between once and three times a week I will dry-brush with a baby washcloth to help remove any build-up of dead skin and to help with clogs. if I wear eye makeup, I will use my normal eye makeup remover and just wipe it off with a damp cloth or cotton pad.

I really don't know how my skin will respond, but I figure that I might as well give it a go, especially since I've still been experiencing issues with flaking skin. My guess is that it's a combo of hard water and mineral deposits, and not using moisturizer with said hard water.

(And just to mention, I'm going to give no-poo another shot, probably a smaller quantity of baking soda and then the customary 1tbsp vinegar to 1cup water ratio. I think I might do this today actually, I might be back with an update!)

2 Comments

I know I sound like a meanie, but, how can you possibly clear acne by doing nothing. You are letting bacteria get a foothold in your blood stream. You need an antibiotic. If you are afraid to take pills at least use topical clindamycin. I guarantee if you continue not washing your face your acne will go cystic and scar your face. It is a progressive infection that worsens over time if untreated. You should use a mild soap for acne prone skin and an oil-free moisturizer if your skin gets "dry" as you claim. Acne is your real problem, not dry skin. Also there is no way to safely exfoliate without an acne scrub or at least soap and water. You are taking yourself back to ancient times when there was no running water except streams. Even cave people washed themselves in lakes and rivers. Whatever, I know you aren't even listening. Good luck.

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I know I sound like a meanie, but, how can you possibly clear acne by doing nothing. You are letting bacteria get a foothold in your blood stream. You need an antibiotic. If you are afraid to take pills at least use topical clindamycin. I guarantee if you continue not washing your face your acne will go cystic and scar your face. It is a progressive infection that worsens over time if untreated. You should use a mild soap for acne prone skin and an oil-free moisturizer if your skin gets "dry" as you claim. Acne is your real problem, not dry skin. Also there is no way to safely exfoliate without an acne scrub or at least soap and water. You are taking yourself back to ancient times when there was no running water except streams. Even cave people washed themselves in lakes and rivers. Whatever, I know you aren't even listening. Good luck.

I haven't had acne since mid-late 2011, and since 2012 I rarely get random breakouts - only if I pick at my pores or get product on my face (the latter type clears up within a day or two after exposure to the product).

If you take any basic anatomy course or read an anatomy textbook, you will learn that sweat, sebum, and dead skin actually act as a barrier to help keep the skin free of infection. I do not advocate never removing dead skin cells if they do not seem to shed themselves properly on their own, but otherwise if someone doesn't see the need to cleanse their face, then if it works who cares.

My skin doesn't get dry, it gets dehydrated. Which means can lose water easily. My skin since doing this has been feeling much better, and if it feels dehydrated at all I just exfoliate to remove any flaking skin that might be making my skin feel tight.

It's working for me, my skin is much less irritated, and like I've said numerous times before I do not have acne. Your mileage may vary - using acne products are what CAUSED me to have moderate acne in high school, which I had used in response to getting some zits due to plucking my eyebrows for the first time. Not all acne is the same - mine happens to be cosmetic, not hormonal or genetic. Since going water-only my acne has cleared up and my skin texture is almost normal (considering I had some pretty noticeable scarring I find any minor scarring that's yet to fill out to not be an issue), and so far this no-water routine hasn't caused any negative changes. If I feel the need to rinse, then whatever, but I'm not going out of my way to do so. Honestly, if I could wash my hair without getting my whole body wet, I'd do that as well more often.

I exfoliate my face with a method known as dry brushing, using a soft baby washscloth instead of a brush (for more ease, more control, and more comfort on my skin - brushes were really irritating to me in the past) and my skin exfoliates really well this way. I actually find that exfoliating for a shorter amount of time with a wet washcloth or a scrub is quite irritating, while I can exofliate for a few minutes with no pressure using a dry washcloth and not get any serious redness unless I use pressure. As long as I wash the cloth after a few uses, my skin has been fine.